It is often said that the only difference between the classroom of 2020 from that of a few centuries ago is perhaps that the teachers don’t wear robes and the kids do not sit under trees. While technology has disrupted many sectors and spaces around us, formal education has changed in unimaginable ways under the burden of COVID. As schools shut down, and over 250 million school students losing their access to schooling, not only the top-end private schools but also central and several state governments have been forced to rise up to the challenge and come up with multi-modal remote learning strategies, as well as digital mediums. Even though almost all schools in India have adapted to the new norms and facilitated smooth learning curves to their students even during these tough times of turmoil, there are some educational hubs that have outperformed as complete centers of excellence. One such renowned school which is continuously striving on the lines of an education pattern that is value-driven & child-centered, focusing on learning & self-development of all the children present on the campus – National Centre for Excellence (NCFE), Bengaluru, has been promoting equality among all, since its inception.
An ISO 9001:2015 certified school and a vital part of Vijay Kiran Educational Trust – an entity that thoroughly believes in providing educational services that satisfy and exceed customer expectations, NCFE under its vast umbrella, operates in pursuit of creating an environment of teamwork and stress-free learning. Also, a center of balanced academics and co-curricular brilliance, NCFE lays equal emphasis on all its stakeholders, helping everyone upskill consistently, irrespective of the circumstances outside. Moreover, endorsing a teaching-learning philosophy which is truly student centered, involving active learning and play-based strategies, the school also caters to the differently abled, dedicating specialized faculty members catering to the individual needs of the students, under its SEN (Special Educational Needs) program.
An excellent forerunner in empowering students, in adapting to the new-age self-learning techniques, NCFE pushes values, skills and knowledge in all its students, in turn, promoting a sense of belonging, and contributing to the larger community. Spread over a campus of approximately 6-acres, the school boasts of spacious classrooms, utilizing smart boards that enable digital learning. Teachers are provided with tabs to allow them to conduct the best of distance learning, staying well-equipped to impart relentless education, in both online and offline mediums. The impressive state-of-the-art infrastructure also facilitates sports facilities, all thanks to the sports complex that facilitates badminton, squash, in-door heated swimming pool, basketball court, table tennis and so on, helping students outperform both inside and outside the classrooms.
Sustaining brilliance & preparedness
Imbibing 21st century skills recommended by NCERT into the curricular and co-curricular subjects, students get prepared in hard skills, soft skills, and transferable skills. In addition to making students get a real gist of learning skills such as critical thinking, creativity, innovation, collaboration and communication, the students are also given a push into learning literacy skills and life skills from their teachers. Furthermore, being a place where student-teacher relationships go beyond the classroom hours, the teachers act as mentors cum gurus to the students, thereby, guiding them on all fronts.
Staying well in-sync with the latest demands and trends of the market, the key strategies followed at National Centre for Excellence are – experiential learning and real-world application. Engaging learning with real world experiences and examples, the school fosters greater learning opportunities among the children, deeply embedding the concepts of the subjects of their interest. Additionally, working towards nurturing skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and innovation, the school dreams and aims of supporting students to become employable citizens of tomorrow.
Taking surveys with parents into account, and strategically timing most of the decisions, parents play a major role at NCFE in the whole process of student development. Coining policies such as the distance learning policy, during the current times of the pandemic, demo classes were shown to parents where they were invited as students. Also, videos of all the initiatives are regularly shared with the parents, and the timely intimation of the syllabus completion has become a norm.
The most-preferred school
“We at, Vijay Kiran Educational Trust, thoroughly believe that the primary duties of educators is to inspire students and thereby smoothen their transition towards higher levels of cognitive development or advancement”, stated – Dr. N. Vijaya Kumar, the chairman & trustee of Vijay Kiran Educational Trust. Enunciating the initial struggles, blossoming with a burning desire to imbibe traditional teaching pedagogies & curriculum, yet, trying to stand apart from its peers, Dr. N. Vijaya Kumar gave us an inside tour of the whole functioning of NCFE. Adding to his earlier statement, Dr. N. Vijaya Kumar stated – “We also take pride in constantly reviewing our educational curriculum with the help of our experienced teachers and other allied educators”, which indeed is an important aspect in today’s world, helping students acquire the key skills that are essential to succeed in the modern world.
Finally, apart from instilling modern world capabilities in the students, NCFE always gives its best to take extra efforts to ensure that students adhere to our rich traditional value system. Lastly, forming the cornerstone of inspirational success, the school not only produces talented and trained students, but helps children gain immensely through peer interactions, in turn, fortifying a deep sense of compassion and empathy for society, and humanity in general.
Dr. N. Vijaya Kumar – Chairman & Trustee
A confident and a passionate personality, Dr. N. Vijaya Kumar is an individual who has engaged in varied services throughout his professional life. Believing that his purpose is to witness progression in society, he aims to bestow his services extensively to the needy. A complete person with excellent people skills, he’s known across the educational fraternity for his communication skills, negotiation skills, strategic thinking and so on. Also, as a living result to his prowess as an expert educationalist and his corporate brilliance, among which – Excellence in Economic Development Awards (2011), Global Achiever’s Awards for Educational Excellence in 2012, and an honorary doctorate from Harvard, are a few.
